I have been researching my nan's family name of Teiger, who originate from Poland, and settled in many areas of Birmingham.

My nan's Uncle, Joseph Teiger, lived at 81 Gooch Street between 1910-1934 and ran a hairdressers/babers shop from there. Question - would Gooch Street and Gooch Street North that exist today have been joined together at some point (I assume so)? Kelly's directory seems to indicate he lived on the west side of Gooch Street after the junction with Wrentham Street. Indeed the next listing is for a "beer seller" so I assume this relates to the British Oak pub on the corner! This would have placed 81 in the area of the large block of flats (Highgate House) on Southacre Avenue if my calculations are correct!

Question 2: What happened to Cox Street West? My nan's cousin, Sydney Teiger, was a tailor at 87 Cox Street West between 1937-1939 although it may have been for longer as there appears a gap in the Kelly's directory I was using online at Birmingham Historical Data. I can only see Cox Street when using Google so I just wondered where exactly it would have been?

Welcome to the forum. I think Gooch St and Gooch St North have always been called that due to the fact that they were bisected by Sherlock St. When you look at numbers in Kelly's Directories you have to account for the fact that they only list commercial addresses in the streets section. just because somewhere is listed next to somewhere else it doesn't follow that they are next door to somewhere unless the listed street number is sequential.

If an address goes missing in the next addition it is often because it is no longer a commercial premises and has become a private residence, though there can be other reasons.

Cox St West has disappeared completely these days due to redevelopment. Looking in Kelly's for 1937 at No 87 I find Mrs Fanny Cohen Tailor & Mr Sid Tieger Tailor.

No 87 was two doors away from a coffee bar that I used to use called the Aroma at no 85 Cox St West. I know a another member of this forum MikeJee has a photo of the house shortly before it was demolished. If you ask him nicely he will put it up for you.

In the meantime here is a map of the location of Cox St West and a photo I took a couple of years back of what it looks like now.

I better get moving the pins in my Google map for Cox Street West then as I was well off point! It looks like the road roughly followed the footpath that is there today. Sydney's father, Joseph, later married Fanny (his second wife) although that seems to be another story as her name on official records was Kleiff but everyone thought it was Cohen!

Point taken on the numbering in Kelly's directory. I never realised until I plotted all the addresses on a map that I have literally been driving past most of them on the way to visit my brother in Kings Heath! This includes Witton cemetery I always make a mental note to myself to "get over into the inside lane" when I pass it on the M6! Small world really! Whilst Joseph and the rest of the family were pretty static, Sydney it appears was a complete "nomad" moving every couple of years.

Should I contact MikeJee directly or is he likely to pick up on this thread?

Would you know of anyone who would have old photos of Gooch Street? I tried to search the forums but I doesn't seem to want to let me play.......although I should really be working anyway!

If Mike doesn't pick up on the thread within a day or two I will contact him, but if I know him he will be searching the photo out now. As for Gooch Street there are plenty of photos about and lots on this forum. The problem at the moment is the search facility is non functional because of problems with the site.

Also most of them would be the wrong side of Sherlock St to what you require there doesn't seem to be many of the north end about. I will post the only one I have. I can give you a little tip when looking for photos, try nostalgia books of buses and trams of the Birmingham area. It can be quite rewarding to find a photo of a bus or a tram being photographed passing the address you are after.

I think you may have cropped the photo a little tight, as the numbers on Cox St West were sequential and number 87 would have been the house before Avotex that you have cropped out of the photo. As you can see on my copy of your photo.

Oh Boys, you are wonderful! I spent a lot of time (may be too much) on family history research but I like to add leaves and blossom to the twigs and branches! Photos and stories bring added value to just names and dates!

Now you wouldn't have a photo of 15 Cox Street West would you as I have Adolph Teiger here in 1904, listed as a bell hanger??

EmmaI'm pretty sure no 19 had been demolished by the time I took the photos. Certainly I have a picture taken of the other side of the street around there with waste ground on the side where no 19 would have been. There was a lot of bomb damage around there. It is possible that the building had been gone since then